Day: June 17, 2018

Full list of Members of the European Parliament who voted against the resolution on political prisoners in RussiaTango Noir (Anton Shekhovtsov)
June 16, 2018

On 14 June this year, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that, in particular, demanded “that the Russian authorities immediately and unconditionally release Oleg Sentsov and all other illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in Russia and on the Crimean peninsula.”

Oleg Sentsov is a Ukrainian filmmaker who lived in Crimea. He stayed there after Russia had annexed the Crimean peninsula; shortly after the annexation, Sentsov was arrested, forcibly “granted” Russian citizenship, falsely charged with terrorist activities and sentenced to 20 years.

Out of 627 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), 485 voted for the resolution, 76 voted against, and 66 abstained. Here is a full list of MEPs who voted against the resolution on political prisoners in Russia and Crimea. It is hardly a coincidence that almost all the MEPs listed here represent the pro-Putin “red-brown alliance.”

NAME

PARTY

IDEOLOGY

GROUP

Bulgaria

Georgi PIRINSKI

Bulgarian Socialist Party

Far-left

S&D

Czech Republic

Kateřina KONEČNÁ

Komunistická strana Čech a Moravy

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Cyprus

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS

Progressive Party of Working People

Far-left

GUE-NGL

France

Marie-Christine ARNAUTU

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Nicolas BAY

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Joëlle BERGERON

Independent [Front national]

Far-right

EFDD

Dominique BILDE

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Marie-Christine BOUTONNET

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Steeve BRIOIS

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Aymeric CHAUPRADE

Les Français Libres [Front national]

Far-right

EFDD

Jacques COLOMBIER

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Mireille D’ORNANO

Les Patriotes [Front national]

Far-right

EFDD

Sylvie GODDYN

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Bruno GOLLNISCH

Front national

Far-right

NI

Jean-François JALKH

Front national

Far-right

ENF

France JAMET

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Patrick LE HYARIC

Front de Gauche

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Gilles LEBRETON

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Dominique MARTIN

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Bernard MONOT

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Sophie MONTEL

Les Patriotes [Front national]

Far-right

EFDD

Joëlle MÉLIN

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Younous OMARJEE

L’union pour les Outremer

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER

Rassemblement bleu Marine

Far-right

ENF

Mylène TROSZCZYNSKI

Front national

Far-right

ENF

Marie-Christine VERGIAT

Front de Gauche

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Marie-Pierre VIEU

Front de Gauche

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Germany

Stefan ECK

Independent [Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz]

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Cornelia ERNST

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Sabine LÖSING

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Jörg MEUTHEN

Alternative für Deutschland

Far-right

EFDD

Martina MICHELS

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Martin SCHIRDEWAN

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Helmut SCHOLZ

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Gabriele ZIMMER

Die Linke

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Greece

Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Popular Unity [Syriza]

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Georgios EPITIDEIOS

Golden Dawn

Far-right

NI

Lampros FOUNTOULIS

Golden Dawn

Far-right

NI

Stelios KOULOGLOU

Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left)

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Kostadinka KUNEVA

Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left)

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Konstantinos PAPADAKIS

Communist Party of Greece

Far-left

NI

Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS

Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left)

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Sofia SAKORAFA

Independent [Syriza]

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Eleftherios SYNADINOS

Independent [Golden Dawn]

Far-right

NI

Sotirios ZARIANOPOULOS

Communist Party of Greece

Far-left

NI

Ireland

Luke Ming FLANAGAN

Independent

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Italy

Mara BIZZOTTO

Lega Nord

Far-right

ENF

Mario BORGHEZIO

Lega Nord

Far-right

ENF

Angelo CIOCCA

Lega Nord

Far-right

ENF

Eleonora FORENZA

Lista Tsipras-L’Altra Europa

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Danilo Oscar LANCINI

Lega Nord

Far-right

ENF

Curzio MALTESE

Lista Tsipras-L’Altra Europa

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Giancarlo SCOTTA’

Lega Nord

Far-right

ENF

Barbara SPINELLI

Independent [Lista Tsipras-L’Altra Europa]

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Marco ZANNI

Independent [Movimento 5 Stelle]

Far-right

ENF

Latvia

Andrejs MAMIKINS

“Saskaņa” sociāldemokrātiskā partija

Centre-left

S&D

Netherlands

Marcel de GRAAFF

Partij voor de Vrijheid

Far-right

ENF

André ELISSEN

Partij voor de Vrijheid

Far-right

ENF

Olaf STUGER

Partij voor de Vrijheid

Far-right

ENF

Auke ZIJLSTRA

Partij voor de Vrijheid

Far-right

ENF

Portugal

João FERREIRA

Partido Comunista Português

Far-left

GUE-NGL

António MARINHO E PINTO

Partido Democrático Republicano

Centre-right

ALDE/ADLE

Marisa MATIAS

Bloco de Esquerda

Far-left

GUE-NGL

João PIMENTA LOPES

Partido Comunista Português

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Miguel VIEGAS

Partido Comunista Português

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Spain

Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA

PODEMOS

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Javier COUSO PERMUY

Izquierda Unida

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

PODEMOS

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO

Izquierda Unida

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Maria Lidia SENRA RODRÍGUEZ

Alternativa galega de esquerda en Europa

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY

PODEMOS

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Estefanía TORRES MARTÍNEZ

PODEMOS

Far-left

GUE-NGL

Miguel URBÁN CRESPO

PODEMOS

Far-left

GUE-NGL

United Kingdom

Janice ATKINSON

Independent [UKIP]

Far-right

ENF

James CARVER

UKIP

Far-right

EFDD

Steven WOOLFE

Independent [UKIP]

Far-right

NI

_____________________________________________________

Editor’s Note: Oleg Sentsov has been on hunger strike for 35 days as of today, June 17, 2018. // TRR

We are now essentially torturing parents who legally seek asylum in the United States (and their children), by taking away their minor children, caging those children, and telling the parents they may never be reunited—all to “deter” them (and those like them) from exercising their legal rights under U.S. law. This new Trump “zero tolerance policy” (announced and implemented April 6, 2018 by Jeff Sessions) is evil and not based on our laws.

As some of you know, I used to be a lawyer, and in the 1980s I used to do pro bono political asylum work for Salvadorans fleeing death squads. U.S. law allows you to claim political asylum here if you have a “well-founded fear of persecution” in your home country that fits within specified categories. You can either present yourself at a point of entry and claim asylum (risky—you aren’t afforded a lawyer and most asylum claims are turned down) or you can claim asylum as a defense to deportation.

Now on our southern border, the U.S. is (contrary to law) refusing to admit those legally claiming asylum. They are forcing immigrants to cross into the U.S. illegally, and then arresting them and (even if they have a defense to being deported because of a potentially valid asylum claim) taking their children to be housed in a concentration camp—an abandoned WalMart filled with cages or a new tent camp in 100 degree Texas heat on a military base. This is being done, per Jeff Sessions and Mitch McConnell, to “deter” them from seeking asylum—that is, as a punishment to them, to deter others from doing the same thing. Even though that thing (claiming asylum) is completely legal under U.S. law.

Accounts from Congressional Representatives and pro-bono attorneys reveal that parents are told that their children are being taken away “to get a bath” and then the children are not returned. When asked how they’ll be reunited, parents are being told “your families do not exist anymore.” Parents have been deported and they don’t know where their children are. Because there are at least four federal bureaucracies involved (CBP, DHS, ICE, ORR in addition to private prison corporations and the DOJ) and there was no planning for implementing the policy none of attorneys representing them, the Customs and Border Patrol, nor U.S. Congressional Representatives can get confirmation that the children are even being kept track of by family.

Not surprisingly, one man, after learning that his child had been taken away, recently killed himself.

Jeff Sessions announced the new policy on April 6, 2018, but Trump now (1) claims, inaccurately, that it’s “the Democrats'” prior law (a complete lie) and (2) tweeted today that he won’t change the new policy unless Congress agrees to fund the wall and end political asylum and end “catch-and-release.”

So here we are, friends. This is a violation of the Fifth Amendment guaranty of due process of law. It’s a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It is a violation of international law. I would hope that any of those who continue to assist the implementation of this new policy are shunned by their congregations of faith until that changes. (Catholic bishops have already discussed assessing Canonical penalties to ICE agents ranging from refusing the sacrament of communion to excommunication.) I would hope that our courts ultimately order them to cease and desist, and if they fail to do so, that they are jailed for contempt of court. I hope they are ultimately prosecuted as international war criminals and they can never travel outside the U.S. In the meantime, every single one of them has violated his or her oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and they deserve our horror and our contempt.

I’ve spent today in a funk, knowing that I needed to write this, and hating that fact. I have, despite every horrible thing up until the last nineteen months, been proud to be an American, choosing to concentrate on our lofty aspirations (equal protection, freedom of speech) rather than our tragic failings (slavery, segregation, white supremacy, McCarthyism.)

But this is simply unmitigated evil. And refusal to face it or to acknowledge it or to own it, is cowardice and a deliberate choice to enable evil. (Yes, friends, this is America, today. This is exactly who we are, until we change it.)

We are terrorizing families. We are traumatizing children. We are violating our principles and our laws to further a racist ideology of our misguided rulers. We are doing evil. We need to do everything in our power to stop that. Now.

Thanks to Jose Alaniz for the heads-up. I supplied the links and videos based on cues in the original text.